USA moves ‘Shooter’ premiere back following Dallas tragedy

For the second time in around a month’s time, USA is making a significant change to a premiere date in light of tragic events. First, it was a decision to move back “The Last Ship” to separate the show from the horrific massacre in Orlando. Now, it is the premiere of “Shooter” following the events in Dallas this past week.

In a statement per The Hollywood Reporter, the network makes it clear the push for the show back to July 26 as opposed to the original date on July 19 is out of sympathy for the attack victims:

“In light of recent tragic events and out of respect for the victims, their families and our viewers, we have decided to postpone the premiere date for the upcoming USA Network series Shooter to July 26.”

Ultimately, it is rather hard to chide USA for this decision, since more than likely they know their show better than anyone else. They have seen the content, and are well aware of what some viewers could find too much given the present state of the country. Television is often escapism, but there is such a thing as content hitting too close to home. Sometimes, it is better to face a little bit of backlash over being conservative than taking a big risk that comes off later as insensitive.

We will have to wait and see precisely how “Shooter” delivers on the screen. The important thing to remember from start to finish is that this is a work of fiction, and is meant to take you out of the world rather than remind you of it.